A 52-year-old hawker, Lim Bock Eng, was sentenced to four weeks in jail on Friday (Feb 23) for slapping a 13-year-old boy who had been playing catch outside his flat with a group of friends.
Lim pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a minor, according to Channel News Asia.
WHAT HAPPENED :
The incident took place on June 15 last year when the victim, along with his younger brother and two friends, were playing catch outside Lim’s flat in Bedok North.
One of the victim’s friends splashed a transparent liquid at Lim’s unit, which enraged him and his wife. Believing that the children were the same group who had thrown potato chips into their home a week prior, Lim shouted at them as they ran away.
The couple, angry and suspecting the same children who had previously thrown potato chips into their home, shouted at them causing them to flee. The victim, accompanied by his younger brother and a friend, went to a nearby playground. The friend who had thrown the liquid did not accompany them.
Lim, searching for the culprits, spotted the victim and other children at the playground.
Upon seeing Lim, the victim attempted to leave, stating he wanted to go home, but Lim prevented him. Despite the boy’s repeated insistence on going home and attempting to push Lim away, Lim slapped him once on the face, causing him pain, the report added.
During the sentencing, the prosecutor highlighted Lim’s past convictions dating back to 1989, including theft, criminal trespass, and criminal intimidation. The prosecutor argued that while the hurt caused in this case was low, the attack on a vulnerable victim warranted a jail sentence.
In mitigation, Lim requested a fine instead, citing financial difficulties as he was the sole breadwinner and needed to pay for his son’s medical fees after a recent traffic accident.
Lim said he wished to apologise for his “rash act” speaking through a Mandarin interpreter. Despite Lim’s plea, the judge upheld the jail term stating that the victim was vulnerable and that slapping a vulnerable part of his body was an aggravating factor in the case.
Lim could have faced double the penalties as the victim was below 14 years old. The penalties for voluntarily causing hurt include a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
Image for illustration only
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